Journey To a Strange New World
by Anawey
Summary: Written by I42write, because her computer's documents aren't compatable with . On his deathbead, a girl from our time comes to Erik, to bring him back with her. Can she really give him the happiness she promised?
1. Leave the Thoughts of The Life You Knew

Journey to a Strange, New World

Author's Note: There will be ideas in here from other phanfics. I owe the idea of Erik coming to our time to EvilQuail's story A Chance of Redemption. I owe much of the inspiration for certain aspects of it to Anawey's story 'Phantom Encounters', and I owe her for putting this up. This first chapter may be over dramatic and sad, but it will pick up, although there will be dark moments.

Leave the Thoughts of the Life You Knew

XxX

"How on Earth am I going to do this?"

Lindsay Brighton had given herself a very difficult task. It was true she didn't have to do it and common sense screamed that she shouldn't, but she knew she'd never forgive herself if she didn't.

She was going to rescue the Phantom of the Opera; bring him out of the pages of books and into the modern world.

She was going to give him a chance to know he was cared about.

And she did care about him, even though she'd never met him.

She'd quickly become obsessed with him once she'd seen the musical. She'd since read the books, both Leroux and Kay, and seen every movie version of the story she could find.

Yet she still felt unprepared, not truly knowing the man she was going to meet in a few moments.

Or maybe it wasn't so much that she didn't know him as that she couldn't understand how such opposite sides of a personality could be in the same person.

He was both loving and a killer, kind and cruel. The same man who had built a torture chamber designed to cause such suffering people would end their own lives to be free of it had also made the ultimate sacrifice for the woman he loved.

Really, he had done nothing less than give his life for her, because when he'd let her go he'd known what the pain of it would do to him.

She remembered the Biblical quote "Greater love has no one than he who lays down his life for his friend." Erik had loved that much, and anyone who loved like that deserved a happy ending.

Was it possible? Or was he too badly damaged? Too far gone to save?

Didn't she have to at least try?

Thanks to a recent invention, she had a chance to, anyway. Through her job as a journalist she'd gotten a chance to interview the inventer of the device, and had borrowed the prototype.

It looked like a simple bookmark, but when placed at the right point in a book and activated, it would carry the user  
into the story.

Tomorrow she would use it. Tomorrow she would meet Erik.

But who was she really meeting?

A tortured genius?

A madman?

The times when he seemed to belong to the light- how much of that had been lies and manipulation? His darkest, most insane moments, how much of that had been a bluff in a desperate attempt to bind to him the one woman he thought could love him?

She flipped through the copy of the book, the book she would enter and hopefully bring Erik from.

She started to read.

"You are crying! You are afraid of me! And yet I am not really wicked. Love me and you shall see! All I wanted was to be loved for myself."

Was that too much to ask? All he wanted was to be loved. Didn't everyone have that right? And in the end he had proven his love for her, let her go at the cost of his own life.

No, that wouldn't happen now. He wouldn't die if Lindsay could help it. She would do whatever she could for him. She put down the book and went to bed. She would need to be well rested for tomorrow.

-

-

The book had to be entered at a very specific point.

Too soon, and Erik would never leave Christine.

Besides, Erik would have to be alone. It wouldn't do to suddenly appear in front of him while he was giving Christine a singing lesson or about to take her to his lair.

The only place in the book that would work was after Christine left. It would be tricky. The message in the Epoque that Erik was dead was published three weeks after Christine left.

If she didn't time it right Erik could be too close to death to save.

She dressed in the most formal gown she owned in the hope of blending in. It was a blue dress, simple and elegant that she had worn to a friend's wedding.

Everything in her New York apartment was ready. The spare room was all set for Erik to move in. She's even bought some smoked salmon for Ayesha. She knew the Siamese loved caviar, but that was slightly beyond what she could aford.

All there was to do now was enter the book.

She closed her eyes and activated the device.

When she opened her eyes again, she was standing inside Erik's home. At least she wouldn't have to get past all his traps the hard way.

But the place looked nothing like what she expected. It was half dismantled, with furniture broken and various smashed items thrown around.

Then she remembered the destruction Erik had done, believing Christine would not keep her word to return to him, or rather that Raoul would not let her.

He must not have done all the destruction the Kay book described at once. The organ was still intact, and Kay had mentioned that being ruined.

Voices were coming from the one room left untouched, Christine's room, where Erik chose to die. She was glad she wouldn't see him in his coffin.

"You …must take.. her… Daroga! There's no one… else I can trust. Someone… will need to… take care of my darling… when I am gone."

There was a groan, and another voice answered, "She will not tolerate me. You know I've never gotten along with cats, Erik."

Lindsay walked closer, and looked into the room. Erik was laying on the bed with Ayesha curled up on his chest, crying terribly, as if she would die of the grief too. She actually hissed at Nadir as if to say "Don't even think about seperating us."

Tears came to Lindsay's eyes. She'd seen a cat who bonded with a human that strongly before.

"Coal-" she breathed, the lump in her throat that always came when she thought of him nearly choking her.

Now wasn't the time to start crying over him. His suffering was already over. She hadn't been able to save him.

She had to snap out of it and help Erik now. Most of her doubts about him had left seeing him with his beloved cat. Nobody who loved animals the way Erik did could be completely evil.

Erik must have heard her, because he tried to set up and yelled "Who's there? How did you get here? Show yourself!"

She was surprised he'd found that much strength to be able to shout. It looked like it was taking all he had in him just to set up.

The Persian was trying to push his friend back down when Lindsay stepped into the room, suddenly remembering the warning about keeping her hand at the level of her eye and taking that advice.

Erik lifted his head and tried to speak.

"I know I am going to Hell when I die…but I do not wish to add to my suffering by killing you. Besides, I have never been one for the killing of women or children."

At that he went into a seizure so bad Lindsay was afraid he would die right then.

Of course.

Mentioning killing children must have reminded him of Reza.

But Reza would have died a painful death if Erik hadn't given him the poison. He'd only spared the poor child suffering.

In a few steps she crossed part of the room, but Nadir held up his hand to stop her.

"I- I want to help," Lindsay said, some confidence returning to her voice.

"If you…do want to help…then do something to make the end come quicker."

"Erik, I – "

What could she say?

"How... did you know my... name?"

"I really do want to help you, give you a chance at happiness in another world."

"I highly doubt the next world will be a pleasant place after all the things I've done," Erik sighed.

Lindsay hesitated, then said, "You say that as if you don't fear Hell."

"Why should I?" he scoffed weakly. "I've already been through it."

"It doesn't have to be that way," Lindsay said quietly. "When I said another world, I meant my world. I'm from – "

She couldn't say the real world.

"I'm from the future. I know it sounds insane, but I can prove it. I can take you with me. You wouldn't be suffering there. You could be happy. You haven't tasted all the happiness the world can offer yet."

She knew she'd made a mistake as soon as the words were out, an echo of the words Erik had said about Christine crying for him and kissing his forehead.

Suddenly his yellow eyes were like flames.

"How do you know all that you know?" Erik demanded

Lindsay paused to think of an answer, and realized too late that she had a copy of the book in her hand.

Erik caught sight of it and moved with speed Lindsay wouldn't have believed a dying man capable of he snatched it from her before the Daroga could quiet him and read the title.

"In my time, people have written books about you, telling different versions of your story. People in my time look at things differently than they do now." She hoped, anyway. "You could have a new life there."

Shaking his head sadly Erik answered, "My life is ending, child."

How much time was left? She was afraid to ask, but knew she had to.

"Erik, how long ago did Christine leave?"

Closing his eyes in pain Erik said, "A week. She…promised me she would…return, but…I doubt it. It would not…be safe for her. Her young man…will keep her safe."

A week. That meant only two weeks left. If only Erik could find the will to live.

"Erik please, come with me. I can help you. What I can't do, others can. You have nothing to lose. If there isn't any way to help you, I'll bring you back here before your time is up so Christine can keep her word."

Then Nadir started to speak to Erik in what must have been Persian. Lindsay couldn't understand a word of it, but she recognized the tone.

It was pleading. He must be trying to persuade his friend it was the right thing to do.

Finally Erik looked at Lindsay and asked, "Nadir and Ayesha could come as well? Nadir has only to say goodbye to his servant Darius. There is nothing else holding him here."

"Yes," Lindsay said in relief. She'd have agreed to just about anything. She hadn't really thought of where Nadir could stay, but if she had to sleep on the couch she wouldn't have cared.

Besides, she could already tell she'd like Nadir, and being a friend of Erik's he'd be able to help her.

After a moment of apparently debating himself, Erik said, "I'll need to gather a few things."

"Rest, my friend," Nadir said. "I'll get what you need."

It didn't take long. Other than Ayesha the most important things Erik took were his violin, his mask, and some sheet music (the score to Don Juan?).

He looked sadly at his organ, knowing there would be no way to bring that, but Lindsay thought of a way to cheer him up if only a little.

"I have an electric keyboard. You can make it sound like a piano or an organ or just about any instrument you want. You can even use it to record as you play."

That perked Erik's interest.

"An _electric_ keyboard?"

Lindsay almost cheered at the spark of life.

"Yes. There will be so much to show you."

But then Lindsay felt her hope disappearing almost as soon as it rose; Erik was so weak by the time Nadir was ready, quick as the Persian was about it, that it took all his strength plus Lindsay and Nadir's help to keep him on his feet long enough to get him to the modern world.

Once they had him safely in bed and he looked like he was sleeping Nadir turned to Lindsay.

"From what you have said, I believe you mean well, but I must ask you to be sure you can follow through on your promises. Erik has suffered too much to stand being let down again. Right now he has no reason to wish to live. I don't know what you plan to do to keep him alive, and although I pray you succeed, if all his life here would be is more suffering, it would be kinder, a mercy, to spare him further pain and let him go peacefully now."

"I won't let his time here be spent suffering," Lindsay promised.

Nadir looked absolutely astounded. Erik had been shunned his whole life, hated by his own mother, as far as he could tell.

Now this crazy girl who had never even met Erik before wanted to give him a happy life.

It made no sense.

But just maybe it would take someone slightly crazy to help Erik.

XxX

Guys, this is I42write's first story, and she asked me to post it because she can't upload the type of documents on her computer, so please be nice? Thanks all.

Review, and I'll e-mail the reviews on to her.

And now, a final mental image to leave you all with: bonnets. Yes, bonnets.

Huzza for the randomness!


	2. This Darkness that You Know You Cannot F

This Darkness that You Know You Cannot Fight  
XxX

Over the next few days, Erik rarely left his bed and Lindsay rarely left Erik. Even though he was technically supposed to have two weeks left, Lindsay wasn't sure he'd make it that long.

There were times when he'd rally a bit, show more signs of life or sleep more peacefully. Those were usually when Lindsay played music for him, when he asked about a piece of modern technology, or when Ayesha curled up by him.

The rest of the time though, he wasn't doing so well. Usually he was sleeping. Or at least he acted like he was sleeping. Lindsay wondered if there were times when he pretended to be asleep just to avoid talking to her or Nadir, just to sink further into his own depression.

It was like he was afraid to wake up.

She knew he needed rest, but this wasn't rest, it was shutting down. When he did wake up, Lindsay would try to coax him to eat. She barely got enough down him to keep a bird alive, much less an ill man.

Most "meals" were just a glass of milk for him.

Lindsay noticed that when he sat up to drink he would often flex him left arm.

Of all the different details about Erik that varied from story to story, his heart problems Kay hinted at _would_ have to be true.

Couldn't that have been one of the facts they had wrong?

No, Lindsay thought angrily. As if poor Erik didn't have enough problems.

Lindsay at least knew a little about how to help a weak heart, since her grandfather had suffered from heart problems for years.

It had been recommended he take aspirin daily, so Lindsay decided to try coaxing Erik to take it. At least it couldn't hurt as long as she was careful with the dosage, but she doubted aspirin would be enough to help him.

She wished he'd let her take him to a doctor, but he wouldn't even consider it. He said "doctor" the way other people would say "snake."

Of course, the doctor who had tried courting his mother and suggested having him locked away hadn't helped that.

Not even Nadir could convince him, and everyday it seemed Erik slipped closer to the end.

"You told me when you saved me from the lung inflamation you could do nothing if I didn't try. The same applies to you now," Nadir told him in a rare moment of impatience one day. Erik only rolled over in bed and ignored him.

That in itself was a bad sign. If Erik were feeling well he probably would have threatened Nadir with the Punjab lasso for that.

Yet during the last week before the two week deadline was up though, Erik stayed awake for longer periods of time, asking questions or focusing more intently when he looked at something.

Lindsay and Nadir were cautiously optimistic that he might be slowly starting to recover, especially when he actually initiated a conversation with Lindsay for the first time the last day before the two weeks were up.

"I still have yet to understand why you're doing this for me," he said.

Lindsay wasn't sure how to answer.

"I'd help anyone who came to me for help if I could," she finally said, but knew that Erik would want more of an explanation. She just wasn't sure how to give it.

"That doesn't explain why you came to help me, specifically."

He didn't sound upset. He sounded confused, like the very idea anybody would try to help him was impossible.

"I suppose because I felt I had a responsibility to you. I knew what would happen to you if I didn't help, and if there was a way to change that, I had to. There just- was no other choice. What was I supposed to do?"

She sat on the edge of the bed by him, noticing he was using his right hand to pet Ayesha instead of his left, and she knew he was left handed.

That wasn't good.

But then Erik flexed his left arm again and it seemed to be usable. Lindsay slowly reached out to Ayesha, but knowing the cat didn't warm up to people easily she decided against petting her yet.

"You like cats," Erik noticed. "Yet you don't have any around."

"I had one once."

This wasn't something she wanted to talk about.

Erik must have understood.

They were both quiet a moment, then Erik said "I know after all the kindness you've shown I probably have no right to ask anything more of you. But if I don't survive, would you be willing to look after another cat? To take care of Ayesha?"

Lindsay wasn't sure if she was more touched or frightened.

It was a sign of real trust that he would chose her to take care of someone he loved so much.

Although, of course, there was no one else except Nadir, and kind though he was, cats hated him. And it frightened Lindsay that Erik was still unsure of whether or not he'd survive. But telling him to stop talking that way wouldn't do any good, not with Erik.

"I'll do all I can for her, Erik. But she loves you. She wouldn't be happy without you."

As if to prove the point, the siamese rubbed against Erik and pushed her nose into his chin. She always seemed able to relax him.

Shortly after that, Erik fell asleep again. Nadir was also catching some badly needed sleep. He truly was a faithful friend to Erik, and had sat up with him just as much as Lindsay had.

Lindsay felt like she'd go crazy if she spent another minuet just waiting to see if Erik would live or not, so she went into the livingroom, trying to find something to distract herself for a moment.

There was no way to make herself stop thinking about Erik though. She wished she knew what to do besides what she'd already done.

And tonight would be the turning point for him. For the first time, she began to wonder what would happen to Erik if he did recover. She hadn't actually thought that far ahead, she'd been so focused on just getting him well. It wasn't as if she could just find him a place somewhere or send him back where she found him.

Abandoning him once he recovered, if he recovered, was not an option. If she did, it would be worse than if she'd never tried to help him.

Feeling like her head was about to explode, Lindsay put on some music and sat down on the couch, leaning over to the coffee table where she had a pen and paper.

Sometimes she just felt like she had to write.

Several hours later, including breaks every few minuets to check on Erik, she'd finished a fairly lengthy poem she was relatively content with, not that she'd ever show anyone.

It was a poem about Erik, or rather to him, telling him how a new day had begun for him and how even though the damage of the past had been done, he had someone who saw the good in him now.

She leaned back against the couch, suddenly feeling the need to rest her eyes for just a minuet.

She'd never intended to fall asleep, of course. Not with Erik still so sick. But the next thing she knew it was dark out, and there were two glowing eyes looking at her.

At first, half asleep yet, she'd thought it must be Ayesha.

Then as her eyes focused and her brain started functioning, she knew it was Erik. He'd gotten out of bed! He had to be feeling better if he'd made it to the livingroom by himself.

The next thing she realized was that she'd left the CD player on. It was an instrumental version of one of her many favorite songs. The sung version of it had been on a CD she'd listened to the other day.

Erik must have heard it, because he knew the words, and sang them now.  
That voice!

"Some say love, it is a river  
That drowns the tender reed  
Some say love, it is a razor  
That leaves your soul to bleed

Some say love, it is a hunger  
An endless, aching need  
I say love, it is a flower  
And you, it's only seed

It's the heart, afraid of breaking  
That never learns to dance  
It's the dream, afraid of waking  
That never takes the chance

It's the one who wont be taken  
Who cannot seem to give  
And the soul afraid of dying  
That never learns to live

When the night has been too lonely  
And the road has been too long  
And you think that love is only  
For the lucky and the strong

Just remember, in the winter  
Far beneath the bitter snow  
Lies the seed, that with the sun's love  
In the spring, becomes the rose."

It broke with emotion during the last part, but was still the most unbelievably beautiful thing Lindsay had ever heard.

Whenever he'd simply spoken before Lindsay had thought with a voice as perfect as that Erik could probably have read the phonebook aloud and made it sound beautiful.

But when he sang! She knew now why Christine had been fooled into thinking he was the angel of music. No earthly voice could ever sound like that.

All the actors who'd played him- Michael Crawford, Gerard Butler, and all the others- none of them could compare to his real voice. Not by a long shot.

The first time she'd heard Michael Crawford singing "Music of the Night" when she did a Broadway radio show in school she'd found herself completely lost in the song.

Hearing the real Erik took that to a whole new level. Music really could poses.

Lindsay thought of the title of an old movie she'd seen, The Agony and the Ecstacy. That just about summed up hearing Erik sing. It was agony because of the pain in every note Erik sang, the way he poured his soul into it, and ecstacy because of the pure magic his voice held.

And she couldn't think of any song that applied to Erik better. It summed up everything his life had been, all the loneliness and longing.

She must have been crying loud enough for Erik to hear, because he turned to her and apologized quickly.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you. You didn't wake before so I thought you were sleeping too soundly to hear."

Didn't wake before? Then she noticed that instead of leaning back against the couch she was laying down with her head on a pillow, warmly covered.

Was Erik so gentle he could have moved her without waking her? Usually she was a light sleeper. Again she felt ashamed of how she'd been afraid of him at first. He was capable of being so kind.

"That's all right. I love hearing you sing. I mean I've never heard anything like that before."

Erik looked at her a few moments before speaking.

"Actually I was rather hoping you'd wake up. I wanted to thank you for everything." He paused. "Including this."

To Lindsay's horror, he held up a piece of paper that could only be one thing.

"My poem!" She hoped Erik's amazing night vision wasn't good enough to see her blush. "I- I never actually meant for it to be read. It isn't any good. I – "

"There is music in it," Erik said softly, and she knew that was the highest compliment he could give. "This is really how you see me?"

"I see that there's more to you than meets the eye."

There was a different shimmer in Erik's eyes now, and he choked slightly.

"You should be getting back to sleep," he said after he'd collected himself.

"No, I'm fine. You might need me tonight."

No way she was falling asleep again. She wasn't leaving him alone any more than was necessary, especially not tonight even if he did seem a little better.

"I will not have anyone make themselves ill on my account."

Lindsay had to admit even after sleeping a few hours she felt lightheaded.

"Well, at least let me wake Nadir up to take his turn watching over you."

"The daroga will sleep through til morning."

Something was wrong with the way he said that, like he'd made sure of it. And suddenly he seemed even weaker than the first time she'd seen him, even though he'd been fine a moment before.

It was as if he'd gathered the last of his strength to sing before, and now everything was spent.

"You need help. You just don't want to accept it."

"I'm fine. I assure you I'm feeling much better."

Someone who didn't know the strength of Erik's willpower might have believed that, might have been fooled by the sudden amount of strength that came back to his voice.

But Lindsay knew Erik had once made a journey, poisoned with a dose of something that would have killed annoyance else, and still been able to give what he thought would be his final instructions when he reached his destination.

"We all just need a good rest," he continued.

"I'm not tired," Lindsay lied.

"As you wish," Erik answered, shrugging. But then he turned off the CD player and started singing again.

This time it wasn't a song Lindsay recognized. It was clearly a lullaby. Was it a French tune? A song Erik himself had written, or one he'd heard somewhere on his travels?

It wasn't in English, but Lindsay wasn't sure if the words were in French or not.

Whatever the words were, it was haunting, hypnotizing. Lindsay felt her mind grow foggy.

Suddenly the song was all there was, and she was lost in it. She wanted to be lost in it. By the time she realized the spell Erik's voice was casting, she was too close to sleep to resist, even though everything in her was telling her not to sleep, that Erik needed her now.

XxX  
AN: Forgot to say before, the Erik in this version will be something of a cross between Leroux and Kay, although the musical will have an influence. And of course, I don't own the rights to the original sources. If I did Erik would have had a happy ending. And for those of you who didn't know, the song sung in this chapter is The Rose, made popular by Bette Middler. I thought it really fit Erik. Sorry about the cliffie, but I'm going to update soon.

Thanks to my reviewers, wandering child and SuchRidiculousThoughts, and to Anawey.


	3. Touch Me, Trust Me

Touch Me, Trust Me  
XxX

It was early morning, almost still dark out, when Lindsay heard a yowling from Ayesha. When Lindsay didn't wake up fast enough, the yowling wasfollowed by sharp claws digging into her arm. Lindsay let out a yelp and sat up in time to see Ayesha bolting back and forth between Erik's room and her.

"No!"

It took about half a second for Lindsay to understand Erik must be much worse, maybe even already-

No, she wouldn't let herself think that.

She followed Ayesha to find Erik clutching at his chest with his right hand and trying unsuccessfully to move his left. His breathing sounded like he was choking.

Lindsay felt herself growing overheated and dizzy. She'd never fainted from fear, but now she knew she was close to it.

_Oh no you don't_, she scolded herself, _you are not going to pass out on Erik now. You are not going to be a wuss when he needs you worst_.

Their last conversation ran through her mind, how he said he'd like to thank her for everything- like he was saying goodbye. And he hadn't asked about her taking Ayesha until that day. When he'd sang her the lullaby, he'd deliberately put her to sleep. And he'd said Nadir wouldn't wake up until morning. He must have slipped him something to make him sleep.

He knew.

He knew there was going to be an attack bad enough to kill him.

She flipped on the lightswitch and started running to him and immediately there was an almost animalistic scream.

"No! Go away! Don't look! Don't look!"

He must have taken off his mask to ease his breathing, and now Lindsay had a full on view of his face.

Much later when she had a chance to think about it, she would wonder; if she hadn't had an idea of what was under the mask ahead of time, or if she hadn't known it was Erik, if she would have been afraid.

It looked like the books described, with eyes sunk so far back they were hard to see, an effect that had been worsened by his illness. There was no nose, which along with the translucent skin made his face look like a skull. The books hadn't exaggerated that. The lips were malformed, and there were only a few locks of black hair on his head.

The whole effect was worsened by the fact that his face was contorted in pain, and that was the  
only thing on her mind just then.

She was never given the opportunity to be creeped out. Right then she was only worried about him himself as he threw his right hand over his face in a defensive gesture.

"Erik it's OK. I couldn't care less about what you look like. It's just a face. I know it's still you behind it. Here, let me help you. I promise I'm not going to scream or faint or run or anything like that."

Eventually Erik slowly lowered his hand, and the face was exposed agin, but Lindsay looked into his yellow eyes, not staring.

"See? It's still you. " She almost started rambling, just to keep from thinking about how close to death Erik was, but she had to make herself focus.

"Erik you need a doctor."

"No! No doctors!"

Even being so sick his voice held power and command, almost forcing her to obey him. If there had been any choice, in a different situation, it would have worked, but there was simply no choice but to disobey.

"Erik I can't treat a heart attack! I know you've had minor ones before that didn't need a doctor but this one-. You have to let me help," she pleaded.

"Let me die with dignity. I don't want to die like a freak on display."

She had to calm him down as well as convince him.

"Erik the doctors will just help you through this attack. Nobody's going to hurt you. And I'll be with you the whole time, or at least if they do make me stand out of the room when they examine you I'll be close enough to hear you if you need me –"

There'd been a promise that had seemed unbreakable in the Leroux book. What had it been?

"Erik I swear it as I hope to be saved. Just trust me on this."

Finally, shaking so bad Lindsay was afraid he was going to go into a seizure, he nodded and squeezed her hand.

Without giving him a chance to change his mind Lindsay called for an ambulance. She had to let go of his hand to dial, but immediately took it again, trying to calm him and reassure him as she stayed on the line with the dispatcher and gave them her address and explained what was going on.

Only then did it register that this was the first time they'd touched other than when she'd helped steady him to bring him here.

His hand was like ice. She'd never felt a living person that cold, and it scared her, but she tried to calm herself for his sake.

She hadn't been sure what to do about Nadir and was about to just leave him a note when he came into the room.

Apparently whatever Erik had given him to make him sleep had worn off, or else it was closer to morning than Lindsay had thought.

"Allah!" he exclaimed, the heavy grogginess leftover gone as soon as he saw Erik.

Erik turned his face away and groped for the mask.

"Erik you need to leave it off. Nadir's seen you without the mask before. Or- Nadir maybe you'd better step outside the door. I've called an ambulance, so some people will be coming to help Erik soon. Just let them in and then we'll head to the hospital."

Nadir was clearly surprised Erik had let Lindsay call for help, but did as asked and stepped out.

Ayesha was frantic by now, and Lindsay knew the cat would have to be put in her carrier or she'd be a real problem for the paramedics. She would think they were trying to hurt him, wouldn't understand that they were trying to help.

Lindsay apologetically closed the door on her just as the men came in. Erik refused to get on the stretcher, so it was up to Lindsay and Nadir to help him outside to the ambulance.

It was another argument to convince the driver that Erik needed them along, but seeing there was no way they'd be able to get Erik to come without the others and that he needed someone to keep him calm, he finally agreed.

It was the first time Erik or Nadir had ridden in a car, but everyone was too focused on Erik's health to think of that just then.

At the hospital, Lindsay and Nadir weren't allowed to come into the room while tests were run on Erik's heart. The best Lindsay could do was to ask Erik to please cooperate with the doctors and tell him she'd see him shortly.

Forced to wait outside, Lindsay began to think about Christine. If she were here, Erik would be trying to stay alive instead of giving up.

It should have been _her_ place to be here with Erik, or rather by his side in their world. She shouldn't have left him. She'd known what it would do to Erik.

Hadn't she told Raoul Erik would die if she left?

Hadn't she said she'd come back to bury Erik? And now if Erik didn't make it, Lindsay would have to bring Erik's body back so Christine could keep her word. She couldn't help feeling a rush of anger towards Christine.

No, she realized. That was wrong. Even Erik, as much as it had hurt, had known Christine had a right to love who she chose. But still, she wished there would have been some way Erik could have been spared the pain.

It felt like forever before the doctor came out, a grim look on his face.

"Is Erik going to be all right?" Lindsay asked.

The doctor shrugged wearily and sighed.

"We had to sedate him. I've never seen a patient with such willpower. He should have been asleep with the dose we gave him, but he's still half conscious. We managed to get him stabilized though, and tomorrow we'll start him on some medication. You've been giving him aspirin?"

Lindsay nodded. Had she accidentally hurt Erik somehow?

"That most likely saved his life. Not that he's out of the woods yet, but it kept the damage to his heart from being a lot worse. The EKG showed he's had attacks before this, and it's clear he hasn't been taking care of himself. It's a wonder his heart didn't quit long ago, and this one sure weakened it."

"There will be lasting effects then?"

Erik wouldn't take well to that.

"He will have trouble using his left harm for awhile, but it should be back to normal in a few days. He's going to need to take better care of himself from now on though if he wants to be an old man someday."

Seeing the worried look on Lindsay and Nadir's faces he added; "A lot of his recovery will depend on him, and from what I've seen of his willpower today, he has more than a good chance."

He checked something on the chart he was carrying and then asked; "Is there anyone else besides the two of you who should be contacted?"

"No."

"I thought I'd better ask. He's been calling for someone named Christine. Do either of you know her?"

Lindsay flinched. Would Erik ever get over her enough to move on?

"She- she was someone he loved very much, but she left him."

"I can understand why," the doctor said. "That face of his."

For once Lindsay saw extreme anger in Nadir's eyes, and knew her expression must be the same as his.

"I shouldn't have said that," the doctor said quickly. "I've just never seen anything like it."

"Erik's suffered a lot because of his face," Lindsay said harshly. "Can we see him now?"

"He's only half conscious," the doctor told them. "He should be falling asleep soon. But I don't see what harm it would do if you want to be in the room."

Even in sleep Erik didn't look peaceful. Peace and joy had been denied to him for so long it was a miracle he even knew how to feel them anymore.

Somewhere on the edge of being asleep and awake, Erik pleaded "Don't go! Don't leave me here in the dark!"

Lindsay wasn't sure who he was pleading to. Was he awake enough to know she was there? Or did he mean Christine? His mother? Either way, he needed to be reassured.

"Of course I won't leave you, Erik. I'm right here."

She knew it would seem silly to some, but the words to the song seemed appropriate just then, although she spoke them instead of singing.

"I'm here, with you, beside you."

Erik seemed to relax slightly at that. Lindsay glanced at the machines that monitored his heartbeat and breathing. maybe it was wishful thinking on her part, but it looked to her as if they steadied.

She squeezed Erik's hand, but there was no response.

He was sound asleep.

-

-

When Erik opened his eyes, everything seemed too bright and there was an annoying beeping coming from the monitors.

His face- there was something strapped there but it wasn't his mask. It smelled strange and only covered his mouth and where his nose should have been.

No! His face was exposed! He reached around for his mask but it was nowhere to be found.

He tried to cover his face with his hands, but his left hand wouldn't work.

Using his right he pulled the blanket over his face feeling humiliated. He hated being weak, vulnerable, and especially knowing that the doctors and nurses had seen his face.

Had they been gawking at him like the freak he was?

At least the only people in the room now besides himself were Lindsay and Nadir. His eyes lit on Lindsay and he saw that she had a rosary in her hands.

She'd been praying for him? Surely she didn't believe God would listen to a prayer for him. God hadn't answered when he'd prayed for Christine's love.

No, God didn't care about a monster like him. Hadn't all he'd been through proven that?

He noticed there were plates setting on the window ledge. She'd been eating her meals there? She didn't want to be ill at the sight of him?

Music was playing softly in the background, a classical piano piece. He'd already noticed Lindsay loved music. Yet she never sang. She visibly fought to keep from singing whenever she played a song with words.

Sometimes she'd mouth the words and be so involved with a song that sound would almost come out, but she always stopped herself.

His guess was that he couldn't sing and knew it.

But her not singing was like a bird not flying. Maybe if he was around long enough he could-

No. Better not to even start thinking along those lines. He should be angry at her anyway for making him come here, and for Nadir for going along with the idea. Still, he knew she'd done it because she thought it was best for him, and however reluctantly he had to admire her for not just bowing down and giving in to him. If she had, he'd be dead now.

Yet now she smiled at him when she turned and saw him awake.

"Feeling better?"

Instead of answering he asked, "Where is my mask?"

"I have it right here, but you need to leave it off. Your breathing-"

"My breathing is much easier. I need the mask." He already had the breathing mask off and seemed able to breathe well enough without it.

Lindsay cautiously handed it to him, knowing he needed to be kept calm.

"I really wish you'd just hold it and leave it off for now."

"I won't have you endure my face out of pity."

"It's not out of pity. Your face really doesn't bother me. It's still you behind it. And this way I can actually see you. I mean see what you're thinking. It's hard having to go just by your eyes."

Erik lowered the blanket a little and glanced at Nadir.

"I've already seen your face Erik. And if you can't trust me now after all we've been through-" Nadir said a little sadly.

Erik lowered the blanket all the way and looked at his friend.

"Forgive me, Daroga."

"There's nothing to forgive, my friend."

"I don't mean just for this," Erik gestured towards his face. "I could have killed you before- the night she left. I'd completely lost my mind. I never did apologize for that. I nearly never got the chance to. And yet you still stand by me, even after that. My God, I could even have killed her! I would have if she hadn't kissed me and brought me out of it."

He groaned. "The boy was right to take her from me. I wasn't safe for her."

"Try not to think of that now," Nadir told him. "The important thing is you came to yourself again. And for now you need to just rest and get well."

It was hard for Erik not to think about it. The idea that he could have killed his best friend sickened him. He'd been hurt before when Nadir had told him that he didn't know what he was capable of with his veins full of morphine.

At the time he'd never imagined he'd ever hurt Nadir. Except in Persia Erik had never killed unless it was necessary. Then, when he knew Christine was leaving he'd lost his mind even worse than when he'd been on the Khanum's drugs. If he'd have killed her he'd have done away with himself immediately after. He couldn't have lived with that.

He needed to distract himself from that line of thinking. He tried fidgeting with the mask in his hands, but his left hand still wouldn't work.

"Did anyone say anything about my arm?"

Lindsay nodded.

"It won't work for a few days, but it should come back as good as before. Like Nadir said, the important thing is just that you're recovering. For awhile we were worried you wouldn't. If it weren't for Ayesha we wouldn't have got you help until it was too late."

At the look on Erik's face she added, "Don't worry about her. Nadir stayed with you long enough for me to go back and let her out of the carrier and feed her. That's when I picked up the CD player too. I thought music would relax you."

So now Erik owed his life to Nadir, Lindsay, and Ayesha. He wasn't sure if he liked owing so many people. But he couldn't deny it felt good to have people showing they cared.

Whatever reason he had for wanting to live, little as it was, he owed to Lindsay. He thought of the poem she'd written him. He'd memorized it, wanting to keep it as one of the few memories of kindness he had. The words would stay with him.

_The storm's past,  
But scars last.  
Let them heal.  
The clouds will pass, morning will come  
The pain's still there  
But know that someone cares.  
_

_A new song has begun  
The mirror lies  
And so do human eyes.  
They can't see down to the soul.  
_

_A loving heart  
So cruelly torn apart  
But please let its song be sung.  
No more fears.  
No more tears.  
_

_If the world gets a chance to see  
Such beauty waits in you to be set free.  
Don't let go,  
Let hope grow  
Light will comeAnd show your way to what can be.  
There's hope for you  
And you will see it's true.  
A new song has begun_

He'd meant it when he said there was music in the poem. When he'd read it he'd actually heard it sung. But then, there was always music in his mind.

He thought of the words again. She believed there was hope for him. She cared about him. She wouldn't let him give up.

He wished she would.

Death was easy. Life was harder.

His own mother had told him she wished he were dead. He'd never forget her telling him there were plenty of angels in Hell and she wished he were with them.

And yet Mademoiselle Brighton- or Lindsay as she politely asked him to call her- had done everything she could possibly do to save is life, even against his will and using a device he got the impression she hadn't been supposed to use.

Even though she was afraid of him.

She must have been afraid the way she'd held her hand at the level of her eyes.

XxX  
AN: I didn't plan on making this so long, but the chapter break seemed to belong here. Hope you all like it. Thanks to my reviewers and to Anawey for betaing and publishing. The rhythm of the poem is a bit off, but it's meant to be to the tune of "Til I Hear You Sing." That was going through my head when I wrote it.


	4. Night Unfurls Its Splendor

As you guys know, my computer died, and new fandoms got away from me. Sorry. But I'll work at it, now. I promise.

-

-

Night Unfurls its Splendor  
XxX

Two days later, Erik was able to leave the hospital, something Lindsay and Nadir were grateful for. It was clear being there made him tense, and if Lindsay and Nadir hadn't been able to stay with him things would probably not have turned out well. If he had to go through too much stress now the effect on his heart was not something either wanted to think about.

Lindsay was grateful her job as a columnist let her work from home, and she was able to write most of what she needed while staying with Erik.

Back at home, Erik still needed to rest much of the time, but now it was actually helping him to recover. He spent more time resting on the couch than in bed now, and it seemed to do him good to be out and apart of things.

As he started to stay awake longer he would sometimes tell stories. There were ones from his travels, ones the books never went into, and different tricks he'd played on the managers of the Opera house and on Carlotta, legends from different places he'd been on his travels, and ones Lindsay could tell he'd made up himself.

He was a born storyteller, as Nadir had said, and Lindsay hung on every word. Her favorite was the one about Erik having a dragon. The way he told it she could almost have believed it. She wished he'd tell the story of the nightingale and the rose, but he didn't and she didn't ask him to.

That story would probably stir up too much pain for him.

Soon, Erik was as recovered as he ever would be. The doctor had warned he would always tire a little easier now than what he used to and would have to be careful of straining himself, but other than that he was basically over the attack.

But for the most part, the life had gone out of him.

He'd listen to music, but made no attempt to make any of his own. He hadn't even touched his violin or the keyboard and except for that one night he hadn't sang that Lindsay had heard.

Then one day Lindsay had to go to the newspaper office and leave Erik and Nadir alone in her apartment. She'd come back to find Erik had taken apart her CD player and was examining it carefully to see how it worked. She bit her lip since she didn't know if Erik would be able to put it back together again, but then she smiled. A CD player was replaceable after all, and Erik was showing an interest in something!

Any sign of life from him was good, and worth far more after all they'd been through than the price of a stereo.

"He's promised if he can't put it back together he'll replace it," Nadir said quickly, seeing Lindsay come in.

Erik turned towards his friend impatiently.

"It's not as if I broke anything. It's easy enough to reassemble."

"No, it's Ok, really," Lindsay assured him.

After that, Erik started taking apart other things. It wasn't long before almost every electrical appliance in the house had been disassembled by him, although now he asked permission.

Lindsay grew increasingly nervous about this new habit of his, wondering which thing he'd take apart that he couldn't put back together. She wished he'd play music instead, but although Erik listened with seeming enjoyment when Lindsay put music on, he still wouldn't make music of his own, using his new "hobby" to distract himself instead.

It was so wrong. Erik couldn't walk away from music. Music was such a part of who he was that he might as well have tried walking away from part of his heart.

Lindsay came to realize that was exactly what he was trying to do. No more singing. No more playing. Nothing to remind him of Christine and the music they'd shared.

One day Erik asked if he could take apart the electric keyboard. She'd given it to him as a gift a few days after he came home from the hospital knowing how he loved music and that he could play it better than she ever could.

He'd thanked her politely, but was too disheartened yet to play it or show any real gratitude. Besides, he would tell her later, he still thought of it as hers at that point and the idea that it was a gift for him still hadn't sunk in yet.

So when he asked to take it apart, Lindsay had reminded him it was his to do whatever he wanted with. She winced painfully when he was out of sight though. She didn't believe he'd destroy it, but it still made her nervous. That keyboard had been her favorite possession.

Erik occupied himself with it for some time, before calling Lindsay into the room. Mercifully, the keyboard looked intact.

"Play," Erik instructed calmly.

Lindsay obeyed, and opened her mouth in surprise.

Much as she'd always loved the instrument, she knew it didn't sound quite as good as a real piano. But now the sound that came from it was clearer and the keys were more sensitive to her touch.

"How did you do that?" she asked him in amazement.

"I merely adjusted a few things," he said with a shrug.

Lindsay grinned at the improvement and lovingly ran her fingers over the keys, playing a few scales before looking at Erik.

"I'd love to hear you play."

Erik shook his head.

"No, I don't feel like it."

And he refused to say or hear another word on the subject. There was nothing Lindsay could do except  
give him time.

By now she was beginning to think nothing was beyond Erik's abilities, but nothing prepared her for the night she woke up with a nagging feeling she should check on Erik. She'd gone to his room to find he wasn't there.

"Maybe he's talking to Nadir," she told herself, but he wasn't there.

Nadir would have gone with Lindsay to look for him, but she told him to wait and call her on the spare cell phone if Erik came back.

Leaving the building, she tried to think of where he'd be.

Anywhere but New York most places would be closed, but this was the city that never slept after all.

Well, places Erik would like, such as museums or concert halls, would be closed.

She couldn't imagine him just walking the streets. Maybe he'd gone somewhere secluded.

Central Park? She absolutely hated the idea of going there at night, but what choice was there?

What if Erik had another attack and was laying somewhere in need of help? Luckily she didn't live far from the park, but she took a cab just to be safe.

It didn't take much to find him. There weren't any other people around that she could see, and even at a distance and with him kneeling down she recognized his tall, thin frame.

She started to walk up to him when he held up a hand to stop her. He was facing away from her, so she guessed he must have heard her footsteps. He gestured for her to step forward slowly- very slowly. She didn't see why until she got closer.

Playing in front of Erik were two fox cubs. They were no more afraid of him than a dog would have been of their master.

When one of the two nipped the other playfully, the bitten one actually ran up to Erik for protection.

This was impossible! Wild animals completely trusting a human?

"Kneel down," Erik whispered. "Be as quiet as possible."

She did as she was told and felt something appear in her hand, a snack for the foxes. She held it out, and the bolder one of the two came forward. Cautious, to be sure, but still coming up to her.

He snatched the treat and backed away before tossing it in the air and eating it. Then he came closer again to sniff her hand hopefully for more, finding nothing, he licked her hand before looking at Erik. The masked man had just finished giving a snack to the shyer of the two cubs and was scratching him behind the ears. The cub's tongue was hanging out and he had a silly, contented look just like a dog being petted.

The spell was broken when a sharp yip was heard from out of sight. It was the mother fox calling her young. They took a backward glance at Erik before minding their mother.

"That," Lindsay said. "Was unbelievable."

"They know they can trust me," Erik said in answer. "Although perhaps I shouldn't have taught them that. Maybe it would be safer for them not to. Trusting people doesn't always end well."

"You're not just talking about the foxes, are you?"

"Clever of you to realize that," Erik said with dry humor.

Lindsay didn't know what to say to that. She might have said not everyone was like the people who'd hurt him before, but how could someone with Erik's past believe in the best in people? She was glad when he changed the subject.

"The night is beautiful, isn't it?"

Looking up at the sky as they started walking back together, she had to agree with him. There was only a crescent moon tonight, but the stars were bright. It had been a long time since Lindsay had seen them. Since her last visit back home to Wisconsin. The lights in the city were just too bright except for here, and she never would have come here if she hadn't been looking for  
Erik.

It was late August, the best time of year for seeing shooting stars. Lindsay had only seen one twice in her life before. One streaked through the sky now, as if it was just for them.

"When- when I had that last attack –" Lindsay wondered if he'd been going to say when Christine left "I wondered if what time I have left in this world wouldn't be like that star," Erik commented.

Lindsay looked at him in confusion before he explained. "Brief. Burning out quickly. I'm fifty one, but I feel older. Much older. I'm worn out and tired."

Lindsay knew he didn't mean just physically.

"Things might take a turn for the better yet."

"I don't know how safe it is to get my hopes up," Erik said before asking, "Do you know any stories from Greek mythology?"

"Some."

What did that have to do with anything?

"Then maybe you know the story of Tantalus."

Nodding, Lindsay said, "He was condemned to always have what he wanted recede just beyond his reach whenever he tried to take it, wasn't he?"

"Yes, and I can sympathize."

Lindsay could see what he meant. He thought he'd found happiness with Giovanni, then that had ended in tragedy. Then he'd thought Christine could love him, and she'd left with Raoul. To a person who'd lived the kind of life Erik had, it would seem like it was safer to just accept the sadness and not risk even worse heartache when happiness was taken away.

Looking at the sky again, Lindsay said, "Shooting stars light up the whole sky for as long as they last."

Erik stopped in his tracks.

"But they can't ever belong with the other stars. They can't stay in the Heavens with them. And not many get to see their brilliance, so what good is it to be one? I'd trade anything to be an ordinary star."

Lindsay thought of Erik's beyond beautiful voice, his genius in so many fields, and the amazing depth of the love he'd felt for Christine. She thought of the magic in him that went beyond the illusions he could so  
skillfully create, like the way he'd been playing with those foxes.

"Someone spectacular can never be ordinary, Erik."

She'd meant it as a compliment, but she saw the pain in Erik's glowing eyes.

"And a nightingale can never be like a rose."

"The only difference between you and other people is your beautiful talents," Lindsay told him firmly. "You're still a person, no matter what you look like." She stopped to consider her next words. "There's a song you remind me of. The chorus of it, especially."

She quoted the words, as always speaking instead of singing, but with such feeling she might as well  
have sung them.

"I laugh. I love. I hope. I try. I hurt. I need. I fear. I cry. And I know you do the same things too. So we're really not that different, me and you."

Erik looked at her in complete astonishment. His mind went back years ago, when he was barely thirteen and had been talking to a gypsy girl. She'd said it felt strange to be talking to him like he was anyone else. He'd  
tried to explain to her that inside he was the same as anyone else, but she hadn't understood. Lindsay did.

When they got back, he sat at the keyboard and played for the first time in a long time. It was still night out and Lindsay had barely slept at all, but she stayed up and smiled as she listened.

Erik's soul was in that glorious music. Nobody who played like that could have a soul that was anything other than beautiful.

Hearing music like that, as well as knowing Erik was getting back to being himself, was worth the lost sleep.

When she finally did close her eyes again Lindsay couldn't help thinking contentedly, _It's not over yet, the  
music of the night._

XxX  
AN: I would like to wish a belated happy birthday to WanderingChild96, who has reviewed every chapter so far. Thank you for the kind words about the poem. They made my day.

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed thus far and as always to the amazing Anawey for putting up and betaing my work.

The part of the song Lindsay quotes for Erik is from "Not That Different" by Collin Raye. The scary thing is I actually found a youtube Phantom video to the song after writing this chapter! Here's the link if anyone wants to see it; /watch?v=GhFfvoLnkpg


	5. Let Your Spirit Start to Soar

Let Your Spirit Start to Soar  
XxX

Erik had survived when everyone, including Erik himself, had worried there might not be any hope.

He'd survived, but he wasn't living.

He hadn't left the apartment except for the occasional sneaking out at night, and he did that very rarely. There was a very real danger he'd remain jut as much of a recluse as he had been before, which would definitely not be good for his emotional or mental health.

_Or his physical health_, Lindsay thought.

He still barely ate anything, and surely he needed fresh air and sunshine.

For his part, Erik was increasingly restless and nervous. A mistrust of people had been deeply implanted in Erik since birth, and at almost every point in his life something had happened to only deepen that mistrust.

Living alone under the opera house all those years had hardly done anything to make Erik more social.

Now, in an apartment in a building where other people simply could not be avoided unless a person never left their room, Erik felt like he was in the proverbial snake pit.

Lindsay noticed Erik was having more and more of what she privately called his "phantom moments" for lack of a better term. He'd lock himself away and play music so dark, despairing, and terrifying that it had her shaking.

Sometimes he wouldn't come out for days at a time except to refresh himself and keep clean.

After that night in the park Lindsay thought maybe she was finally making progress with Erik, but things were not going to be that simple. Just giving him time to come around was helping a little, but it wouldn't be enough. She'd have to take the initiative and do something.

"Tommorow is Sunday," she mentioned as casually as possible one day, remembering Erik had mentioned taking Christine out on Sundays.

Erik tensed.

"If you are thinking of going to mass –" He'd noticed the religious images around the apartment.

"I meant I know Sundays are good days for doing things together. If you wanted to maybe go on a tour of the city or take in a show or something we could."

That seemed to surprise Erik.

"You haven't heard mass since I came here."

Lindsay shrugged.

"I do enjoy going to mass, but I think as far as doing what God wants, he'd rather have me do some real good."

Like keeping Erik happy.

Someday maybe they'd go to mass together, but she wasn't going to push him.

"So it's totally you're call, whatever you want to do."

Erik didn't answer right away. Doing anything at all meant going out in public, facing people staring – or worse. He'd been divided from people for so long, strengthening the wall that kept him safe from them even though it also kept him alone.

Suddenly Lindsay saw a silver compass appear in his hand. She hadn't even know he'd brought it with him, but she knew where he'd gotten it.

"'_I hope you'll never get so good at building walls that you can't see when they need to be pulled down,'"_ he said quietly, lost in memory.

Lindsay's mouth dropped slightly. Giovanni, in a well intended but botched attempt at getting Erik to relax so they could have a talk, had given him too much wine the night he'd told him that. He'd thought Erik wouldn't remember anything they said that night, but Erik had at least remembered that much, and his answer.

_"I'll see to that first thing, sir."_ He took a deep breath and the compass was gone again. This would be hard him at first, but it needed to be done.

"I haven't seen an opera in a long time," he commented.

-

-

Lindsay took her time carefully looking through the show listings on-line, for both Operas and musicals.

Aida, no. Not after the scene from it he'd wanted Christine to act out with him.

Faust. Definitely no!

Phantom was being performed at the Majestic. No way she was taking him anywhere near there.

Les Miserables. That had possibilities. The music was beautiful and it had a great storyline. She turned to ask him about it.

"I've read the book," Erik said when she mentioned the idea, and she got the impression he'd thought it was well written. At any rate, he agreed that would be a good choice.

So Lindsay, Erik, and Nadir left the apartment early the next day, deciding to make a day of it. They were just heading down the hall to the elevator when Erik felt a tug on suit jacket. He looked down to see a little girl.

"Uh, why do you wear that thing on your face?" She asked.

Lindsay cringed and saw Nadir doing the same. This was exactly the type of thing Erik was afraid of.

Erik tensed, but could tell the child wasn't being cruel. She sounded more concerned than anything.

"Because my face is different from other people's," he explained. "They don't like to see what I look like."

The little girl studied the mask before saying, "It's like a bandage." She probably got that impression from the white coloring. "Does it hurt?"

There was no doubting her concern now.

"Sometimes, in here," Erik answered, kneeling in front of her and pointing to his heart. Nadir and Lindsay knew, of course, that he didn't mean his literal heart trouble.

"My mommy has magic to make me feel better when I hurt," the child said brightly. "Maybe I can do it too and make you feel better."

She pressed her hand against his heart a moment, then said, "And mommy says nice things like hugs make the magic work better."

And with that she wrapped her small arms around Erik. He was breathless by this point. This little girl was so kind.

"All better?" She asked when she pulled back.

Erik nodded, emotion choking him as he said "Thank you."

Deciding to do something for the child he asked "Since you did magic for me, would you like me to do magic for you?"

The little girl nodded eagerly. Lindsay hadn't seen Erik do any magic yet, and watched with just as much interest as the child. Even Nadir, who'd seen Erik do magic many times before watched intently, knowing how talented he was.

Erik held out his hand palm up, clearly without anything in it, and there was a flash of light in that hand. The flash left behind white smoke that took the shape of a swan, which flew in a circle overhead twice before disappearing.

"Wow!" The little girl was obviously dazzled, as were Lindsay and Nadir. Lindsay had seen magicians on TV before and she could figure out how the tricks were done a fair amount of the time, but she couldn't see how Erik had done that.

Nadir had tried to figure out how Erik did some of the things he did too, like that music box, but so far he hadn't been successful in figuring out Erik's secrets.

Now the little girl looked at her own hand like she was trying to make the magic work for her. Erik chuckled.

"Someday maybe I'll have to teach you how to do some of the magic I know."

Just then the little girl's mother came up.

"Bonnie! There you are." She picked the little girl up and hugged her close. "Don't disappear on me like that again. You know you're too little to go wondering around on your own.

"I'm sorry, Mommy. I just wanted to say hi to the man in the mask. He's so nice, Mommy. And he can do magic."

"Sweetheart you know better than to talk to strangers," she scolded. Then she looked and the others, sighed, and smiled. Other than blinking and letting her eyes rest on it she didn't react to Erik's mask, although she did seem  
tense around him.

"I hope she didn't bother you. She's such a talkative little girl, and she's been lonely since her father and I divorced."

"She's a delightful child," Erik assured her.

"Indeed," Nadir agreed with his friend. The daroga had also been impressed by the sweet natured little girl. "And although I know he might not seem that way at first, my friend is wonderful with children, so I'm sure he  
enjoyed meeting her."

The woman looked at Nadir warmly.

"Do you have children?"

Nadir looked down, flinching and closing his eyes. Erik had a similar reaction.

"I did have," Nadir finally answered. "He had an illness –"

"Oh! Oh, I'm sorry," the woman said hurriedly. "I didn't mean –"

"It's quite all right. You had no way to know. Erik was very close to him as well" Nadir noticed how the woman had seemed a little unsettled by Erik, so he added "I'd have trusted Erik with his life."

Erik stepped back and closed his eyes. The woman took that moment to introduce herself though, and Lindsay let the woman, Hellen Nelson, know she was welcome to stop by her apartment anytime.

"Well, I'd better get Bonnie back home. She hasn't had her breakfast yet."

She shook their hands and then carried Bonnie home. The little girl waved at them over her mother's shoulder and called, "Bye bye Ewik."

"Ewik?" The former phantom couldn't help smiling. Little Bonnie was so cute.

As they left the building though, Erik couldn't help asking "Daroga when you said you'd have trusted me with Reza's life –"

"I meant it," Nadir told him. "You know that."

He looked his friend in the eye. "I told you when you left Persia there was nothing to forgive. The way I see it, his illness killed him. I know if you could have saved him you would have. All you did was spare him pain."

Erik seemed to step a bit lighter once he heard that. They bought the tickets first so they'd be sure to get seats (Lindsay had the money Erik had brought with him converted over some time ago, so Erik insisted on paying).

When Erik was handed the tickets he stared at them a moment before laughing and handing Lindsay and Nadir each their ticket. Lindsay saw where they were setting and groaned and laughed at the same time.

Of course. Where else could their seats be but box five?

The show wasn't for several hours, so they decided to go to Central Park. While walking through it they passed a stable. Lindsay had always loved horses and knew Erik did too. They were all up for a ride, so they went and talked to a stable manager.

Yet another echo of Erik's past was waiting there, a very good one. The stable manager gave Erik the reins of a beautiful white horse named Caesar.

Erik blinked when he learned the horse's name, but took to the horse right away.

When they were out of sight of the stable, Erik removed all the horse's tack before getting up on him. Lindsay remembered reading that Erik rode without a bridle, but actually seeing him do it made her gasp.

How did he get the horse to do what he wanted? But somehow he did, and Caesar acted like there could be no greater honor than carrying Erik.

In their time, of course, horses had been the only way to get around except for trains, so Nadir knew how to ride well enough too.

Lindsay had a bit more trouble, though. Although she loved horses, she hadn't ridden much and when Erik asked Caesar for a trot and Lindsay's horse matched the pace Lindsay lost her balance and took a spill.

"Are you all right?" Erik asked. He and Nadir were almost immediately standing over her.

"I'm fine. Nothing hurt but my pride." She got to her feet.

"A man my age probably shouldn't be riding at more than a walk anyway," Erik said.

"Erik you're not an old man or anything," Lindsay told him, getting back on her horse, although she was concerned about his heart. Actually Erik seemed to be feeling younger than he had in a long time, and they all thoroughly enjoyed the rest of their day in that park.

Well, for the most part.

At first Erik was jumpy and warily eyeing any strangers who might stare and mutter. Most people were preoccupied with their own business though, and Erik eventually relaxed somewhat.

Their enjoyment of the park was nothing compared to their enjoyment of the show, though. Especially Erik's. From the first note to the last it was clear he was thoroughly entranced. There was the air of a teacher grading a class about him, and Lindsay could well imagine he was mentally correcting every mistake made by the actors and musicians.

He didn't seem to find many though, perfectionist though he was. Even with the mask on his eyes showed his emotional involvement in it. They glistened during "I Dreamed a Dream," "A Little Fall of Rain," and the many tragic moments. His fingers drummed on the arms of his seat during "Do you Hear the People Sing?"

Many times his hands moved almost like he was playing along with the orchestra. Lindsay could guess he was committing the music to memory. (She would learn she was right. Later that night she heard him playing incredible amounts of the score through perfectly. The man's memory for music was phenomenal!)

Always his love of the performance was clear, and he was on the edge of his seat the whole time. There was one part where Erik's eyes looked absolutely furious, at Valjean's line, "Before you say another word, Javert- before you chain me up like a slave again…"

Lindsay had forgotten that part, but Erik had known the character's name since he'd read the book, had been prepared for it. Still, his hands were tightly clenched during the whole "Confrontation" scene, and at Valjean's line, "I am warning you Javert. There is nothing I won't dare. If I have to kill you here, I'll do what must be done,"

Eriks's eyes widened, then narrowed in remembered rage at the Javert _he_had known. But the anger left his eyes, replaced by a warm look when Valjean rescued Cosette. He was clearly warmed by Valjean's compassion for the little girl.

When the performance was over, as an encore several actors who played Valjean in different countries came out and sang part of "Do you Hear the People Sing?" in their own languages followed by a reprise of "One Day More."

Lindsay wondered just how many languages Erik spoke. Italian, Russian, and Persian had been mentioned, and of course French and, thankfully, English. She guessed he also spoke Spanish and Hungarian since she'd herd those languages were the ones most commonly spoken by Gypsies, but she didn't know for sure.

Her thoughts were broken when the applause began. Erik was the first one out of his seat giving a standing ovation.

For the first time since she'd met him, Erik seemed perfectly happy when they left the theater. He had nothing but good things to say about the performance.

He even sang part of one of the songs. The beauty of that voice gave Lindsay goosebumps and sent a delightful shiver through her. There was none of the agony that had been in his voice the first time she'd heard him sing. It was pure beauty.

She could never hear his voice enough. If she had one wish besides seeing Erik happy, it would be to never stop hearing him. She had both her wishes for now, and she hoped the words he sang would be prophetic.

"_Do you hear the people sing,  
Lost in the valley of the night?  
It is the music of a people,  
Who are climbing to the light.  
For the wretched of the Earth,  
There is a flame that never dies.  
Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise."_

XxX  
AN: The incident with Bonnie was inspired by an incident in "The Phantom's Redemption" by Anne B. Caluwaert. However, her name comes from the movie, Rigoletto, which has no connection to the Opera of that name. It is strangely like Phantom in that a deformed genius teaches a girl to sing, although their relationship is father/daughter, not lovers.


End file.
